A second gift of $500,000 from the Tamaqua-based John E. Morgan Foundation has boosted an endowed scholarship fund at Pennsylvania College of Technology to more than $1 million.

The John E. Morgan Scholarship gives first preference to graduates of Tamaqua Area High School who are pursuing “a degree that is not readily available from other institutions, at a comparable price, within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

If the first preference does not produce a sufficient pool of eligible students, graduates from high schools in Schuylkill, Lehigh, Luzerne, Carbon and Berks counties will be considered.

For the 2018-19 academic year, $21,500 has been awarded from the John E. Morgan Scholarship fund to four students enrolled at Penn College.

“This new grant, which doubles the generous initial commitment from the John E. Morgan Foundation, will enable more students to pursue their educational goals with us,” said Penn College President Davie Jane Gilmour. “The academic programs specified in this endowed scholarship offer graduates the prospect of stable employment in high-demand career fields. We are grateful to the Morgan Foundation for its ongoing support of students.”

The John E. Morgan Foundation honors the philanthropic life of the industrialist, who died in 2001 at the age of 89. Morgan and his first wife, Anna Hoban Morgan, who died in 1970, invented the waffle stitch used in long underwear and blankets in the late 1950s. He sold his J.E. Morgan Knitting Mills in 1984 and continued his lifetime work as a philanthropist.

Those interested in contributing to a Penn College scholarship – or establishing one – may send a donation to the Penn College Foundation, One College Avenue, Williamsport, PA 17701; give online or call the Institutional Advancement Office toll-free at 866-GIVE-2-PC (866-448-3272).

For more about Penn College, a national leader in applied technology education and workforce development, email the Admissions Office or call toll-free 800-367-9222.